Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (鏑木・T・虎徹), aka Wild Tiger (ワイルドタイガー) is one of the series' main protagonists and a veteran hero whose lack of regard for collateral damage when fighting crime had earned him the nickname the "Crusher for Justice" for the wrong reasons by the public. He starts the series as one of the least popular heroes of Sternbild City, but he seems to care more about helping the people in the city he helps rather than earning ratings, points, or fame, a trait others don't seem to approve of.

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Willd Tiger became a super hero at the age of 10[1], he was present during an attempted bank robbery which was foiled by the veteran hero Mr. Legend.

"That makes you a hero too!"

One of the criminals took Kotetsu hostage and the latter activated his NEXT powers out of stress and fear, sending his captor flying across the room. Kotetsu believed that anyone who touched him while his power was active would be hurt, but Mr. Legend convinced him otherwise and told him that his power was meant to save people. This encounter with Mr. Legend inspired young Kotetsu to later become a hero himself.

During his high school years, Kotetsu became known for never having lost a fight, which drew the attention of Antonio, a then-gang leader from the next town over. Though Antonio repeatedly called Kotetsu out to fight him, it wasn't until the members of his gang kidnapped Kotetsu's classmate Tomoe to use as bait. Kotetsu was surprised to discover upon arriving at the gang's location that Antonio was a NEXT, but the two fought regardless. After a while, having reached a standstill, it was revealed that Antonio hadn't known of Tomoe's kidnapping and both boys demanded to know where she was being kept. The warehouse pointed out by the gang members suddenly burst into flames, and Kotetsu used his powers to rescue Tomoe. When Antonio asked why Kotetsu hadn't used his powers during their fight, Kotetsu stated that he had decided only to use his powers to save people, like a true hero. The encounter led Antonio to choose a similar path - deciding only to use his powers to protect people - and the two met repeatedly after that, still trying to determine who was stronger while also becoming fast friends.

Tomoe would later go on to become Kotetsu's wife, and they had a daughter named Kaede years later. However, Tomoe passed away five years prior to the series' start from an illness, leaving Kotetsu lonely.

Kotetsu's previous sponsor, the fictional publication company Top MaG, is bought out by Apollon Media in the first episode and his new employers force him to work alongside rookie hero Barnaby Brooks Jr. as the first hero tag-team. They don't get along, as their beliefs and fighting tactics are complete opposites. This results in several disastrous incidents due to their utter lack of teamwork.

During the hero battles versus Jake, Wild Tiger is chosen as the third opponent and ends up being the only one who lands a hit against Jake - by sheer accident. Even despite his 5-minute time limit running out, he continues to fight and trips, injuring Jake with an accidental dropkick. This drives Jake into an angry frenzy, and he beats Kotetsu up so badly that the latter ends up in the ICU. Later, during Barnaby's matchożO, Kotetsu regains consciousness and has an epiphany about Jake's powers. The other heroes try to stop him from leaving the hospital, but he puts on a show of seemingly speeding up his own healing using his Hundred Power to prevent them from worrying. He then has Saito construct a combined ultrasonic-flash bomb, which the injured Kotetsu hand-delivers to Barnaby on the battlefield. As a result, Barnaby is able to win and Kotetsu regains his partner's trust.

Ten months after the incident with Jake, Wild Tiger and Barnaby have become both well-known and popular. Additionally, their relationship has greatly improved and Lloyds is now adamant that Kotetsu not even consider quitting being a hero. As a result of their new popularity, the duo become the focus of numerous photoshoots and TV appearances, which Lloyds often prioritizes over actual hero work. They even end up performing alongside Blue Rose in a live concert. During said concert, when a criminal steals Blue Rose's bag, Kotetsu's usual Hundred Power seems to gain a boost in strength as he finds himself running faster and jumping farther than he would usually. Subsequent uses of his power run out before the 5-minute time limit.

After a radio interview where Kotetsu mentions his supposed "power-up", he receives a call to meet with his old boss/friend Ben. Kotetsu then learns that his powers are gradually fading, and must face the fact that he will likely have to quit being a hero. He ends up returning to his hometown to visit his family and collect his thoughts, and his time there results in him reaching a final decision to resign.

Once Kriem wakes from her coma and informs Kotetsu and Barnaby that Jake hadn't been responsible for the Brooks' deaths, Kotetsu checks the video footage from the hero battles to verify her story. He discovers that Jake has no Ouroboros tattoo, which leads to Barnaby having a mental breakdown when his memories of the incident start to unravel. Meanwhile, Kotetsu puts off telling Barnaby and the other heroes of his decision to quit, much to the dismay of his family - who are trying to deal with Kaede's developing NEXT powers in his absence.

In an attempt to help his partner's mental state, Kotetsu suggests they retrace Barnaby's steps on the day of his parents' deaths. Unfortunately, this leads to Barnaby overhearing a phone conversation between Kotetsu and Kaede and thus learns in the worst way possible of Kotetsu's intentions to quit the hero business. He and Kotetsu have an argument, Kotetsu slaps him across the face on the spur of the moment, and Barnaby ultimately activates his Hundred Power and flees. Not long after, Kotetsu finds he is unable to contact Barnaby and ends up receiving a summons from Maverick. Kotetsu talks about his concern for the missing Barnaby, and finds a decorative pin on the floor of Maverick's office which he first believes to be his own. During their conversation, he receives a call from Samantha, who has a photograph to show him - and so he heads out to meet her, not knowing that Maverick had been trying to drug him the entire time.

Before Kotetsu can see Samantha, however, an attack (courtesy of Maverick) occurs and he is called into action with the other heroes. By the time he gets back to Apollon Media, Samantha appears to have left. When Kotetsu stumbles across a second decorative pin in his car, he realizes that the one from Maverick's office must have been Barnaby's. He calls Maverick, suggesting that Barnaby had visited the former's office while he was out and was subsequently kidnapped. Kotetsu then mentions his plan to visit Samantha's house in the hopes that she is there - and, after waiting a lengthy amount of time for her, ends up falling asleep on her couch. When next he tries to enter Apollon Media, Lloyds doesn't recognize him and his employee badge won't work. Soon, a newscast identifies him as a homicidal NEXT responsible for Samantha's death and Kotetsu is forced to run for his life as not only the entire city, but the other heroes come after him.

Forced to deal with one hero after another, Kotetsu is shocked and frustrated to discover that none of the heroes remember him to be Wild Tiger and tries to remind them of previous interactions with him. To add insult to injury, the appearance of a fake Wild Tiger further increases Kotetsu's problems. Albert Maverick also took the opportunity to make it even worse for Kotetsu, by removing him from the Apollon database. After witnessing footage of Maverick delivering a press conference, Kotetsu finally realizes that the former is responsible for his current predicament. He then encounters Ben, who provides him with his original hero costume, and prepares to turn things around as the real Wild Tiger.

Back in his original costume, Kotetsu confronts the other heroes on Apollon Media's rooftop and tries to jog their memories by mentioning secrets about each of them that only someone close to them would know. The heroes, unfortunately, remain unconvinced and prepare to resume their attacks. Kaede then shows up, and Kotetsu finds out that she is aware of his identity as Wild Tiger. When the other heroes still won't listen, she grows frustrated and inadvertently uses the Memory Implantation power she had recently copied from Maverick. This brings the other heroes back to normal, much to Kotetsu's relief, and he introduces them to his daughter. Soon after, Barnaby arrives and Kotetsu asks Kaede to fix Barnaby's memories as well... only to discover that, thanks to Sky High having touched her shoulder, Kaede has now copied his power and lost the use of the previous one.

Kotetsu leaves the other heroes on the rooftop, telling Rock Bison to look after Kaede if anything bad happens. In his flight, he drops in on Saito's workshop and is overjoyed that the latter remembers him. Saito provides him with his usual hero suit and accompanying motorcycle, and Kotetsu's efforts to restore Barnaby's memories of him resume - to no avail. They end up seriously battling atop a bridge, with Barnaby showing no mercy to the man he believes to be Samantha's killer. The look of hatred in Barnaby's eyes throughout heavily damages Kotetsu's spirit, bringing him to tears. When Barnaby is about to make a final, finishing blow and Kotetsu inadvertently calls him "Bunny", Barnaby's memories revert to normal and Kotetsu is beyond relieved.

The pair soon learn that the other heroes (and Kaede) were defeated and taken captive, courtesy of a call from Maverick. It takes considerable effort for Kotetsu to retain any sense of calm with his daughter in danger. He and Barnaby travel to Justice Tower to confront Maverick, but end up being forced to battle the extremely powerful android H-01 against which they have very little chance of winning. Ultimately, Kotetsu is able to get behind H-01 and immobilize it by holding it in place. He shouts at Barnaby to shoot them both, with the assumption that he will survive the blast thanks to his Hundred Power or jump out of the way at the last second. After some hesitation, Barnaby shoots using H-01's own laser gun and the android is destroyed.

Kotetsu's "death"

Unfortunately, Kotetsu's power had run out just before the beam hit and he suffered severe injuries. After a short scene where Kotetsu reveals his gradual power loss and Barnaby breaks down in tears, Kotetsu seemingly dies in Barnaby's arms right as the other heroes and Kaede arrive.

Some time later, after the other heroes have chased Maverick into a corner, he takes Kaede hostage with a gun to her head. Suddenly, a figure lurches at him from the shadows and Kotetsu punches him square across the jaw. The other heroes are stunned, and Kotetsu says a corny re-entrance line before stating that he had only fainted from the pain - adding it was something Barnaby would have realized by checking his pulse. He is then sandwiched in a hug between Kaede, Barnaby and Blue Rose.

After Maverick wipes his own mind and is taken into police custody, Kotetsu announces his retirement to the other heroes. They are all shocked, but understand - and Barnaby opts to retire as well. Kotetsu then returns home to Oriental Town.

A year later, Hero TV is still going strong and the other NEXT heroes are busy catching criminals. Wild Tiger - now with only 1 minute's worth of power total - turns out to be running with the Second League members. He corners a criminal, who is well aware that Tiger's powers have reached their limit already. As Tiger steps onto the glass rooftop of a building, the window breaks and sends him hurtling toward the ground... only to be caught by the sudden reappearance of Barnaby, also in his hero suit. The pair argue for a little while, but ultimately decide to both get back into the hero business, thus closing their suits' faceplates.

It is later revealed that the main reason why Wild Tiger returned to being a hero was because Kaede told him that sitting around at the house all the time had made him a really lame dad.

Kotetsu's 10-year old daughter Kaede lives with his mother and, until episode 21, had no idea that her father is the hero Wild Tiger. Originally, she was often disappointed and not so understanding when he failed to visit her like he promised, as she believed he had a normal job. Possibly due to his hero work keeping him away from her, Kotetsu seems to treat her even younger than she is. He loves her dearly, but can't compromise his identity and thus has to tolerate her disappointment in him. A very telling incident occurs early on in the series, when Kotetsu (as Wild Tiger) is unable to reach Kaede in time to prevent a chunk of ceiling from crushing her, and is so relieved when Barnaby rescues her that he immediately blurts out a heartfelt thank you. Their relationship has improved somewhat since Kotetsu's trip home and even more so after Kotetsu is framed for murder and his mother finally tells Kaede the truth about her father's job.

The pair are, at first, forced into a partnership which neither particularly enjoys or wants. Their teamwork is atrocious and their priorities frequently clash as Barnaby is more concerned with points and ratings, whereas Kotetsu simply wants to save people. Barnaby frequently grows irritated at Kotetsu's tendency to insert himself into others' affairs, but despite their rocky start they end up becoming a good team and somewhat-friends. Ten months after Jake's arrest, they have become a close pair and are even capable of occasionally finishing each others' sentences. Barnaby now understands Kotetsu's kind-hearted nature and seems to both appreciate and accept it. As a result of Kotetsu's tendency to keep things bottled up, however, Barnaby is deeply hurt upon accidentally learning of Kotetsu's intentions to resign.

Kotetsu's Hundred Power increases his physical capabilities such as strength, speed, and jumping abilities, by a hundredfold for five minutes at a time. After those five minutes, he must rest for one hour before activating it again. Barnaby has stated that Kotetsu has strong endurance, and Kotetsu has above-average physical ability due to a daily/weekly exercise regiment. This is demonstrated when he was able to lift a tree without his powers to save Kaede. Kotetsu's attacking forte is in punching (contrary to Barnaby's forte in kicking), which would indicate that he has the greater strength and endurance of the pair. He also has more experience with his powers than Barnaby, able to use it for more than just fighting

With his Hundred Power activated, he is able to punch through walls as well as lift an entire section of train rail and tie it into a knot. He can withstand a bullet wound to the chest at point-blank range with only minimal injury and even taking a flaming crossbolt to the shoulder isn't enough to incapacitate him. During the hero battles, he showed he could use his NEXT ability to slightly heal himself 100 times faster, but was still far from recovered when he went to help Barnaby. His power can also be used to heighten his sense of hearing, as he did to find Kaede. His signature attack is the "Wild Roar", which appears to push back an opponent with a burst of energy and is generally used right when Kotetsu activates his Hundred Power.
Recently, his powers seemed to have dramatically increased, but it was revealed that his powers now fade sooner than normal, by increasing intervals. It may have been do to having a child like Mr. Legend before he lost his powers. It's been stated that, as with a small percentage of NEXT, Kotetsu's powers will continue diminishing and likely fade away entirely. When experiencing a power increase, Kotetsu has difficulty controlling his movements and ends up jumping farther or running faster than he had intended to do. Kotetsu's glow turned orange during this power increase, but no signs have shown that he's experienced this glow again as his glow has remained the normal light blue since then.

Like Mr. Legend, his NEXT powers are beginning to decline thus reducing the supposed time-limit from five minutes to one minute. Kotetsu's powers may or may not come back or he may gain a new power.

Kotetsu's first and original hero costume, affectionately referred to as the "crapsuit" (くそスーツ) by the fans, has a traditional design, with a cowl-type mask and cape. As he had only one sponsor (Top MaG), the name was prominently displayed across the chest area. Whenever he activated his power, the suit as well as his muscle mass would increase. It is very likely that Kotetsu had several of these costumes, as Saito burns one and later, Ben has a second stowed away in a suitcase. Kotetsu dons his original costume again after Maverick manipulates the other heroes' memories in order to convince them that he is the real Wild Tiger. He also uses his catchphrase "It's time to let out a wild roar." to convince them.

The suit also seems to feature a grappling wire like Kotetsu's new suit, shown during Saito's presentation of how superior his suit was compared to the original in episode 2. Also supported by the fact in episode 2, Kotetsu demonstrating skill in swinging with the wires after freeing himself from the statue.

This new armored suit is shown to be far more durable than Kotetsu's original suit, as it is bulletproof and capable of surviving a chainsaw attack and intense heat. It features a grappling hook of sorts called "Wild Shoot" which is fired from a device beneath one arm and is often used as a means of speedy transportation like Spider-Man. In fact, the suit has only been shown to crack open once - in the battle against Jake, after Kotetsu's powers had already run out. The visor includes a timer to tell him how much longer his power will remain active, and the suit's systems seem able to discern information (approximate height and age of a person, makeup of machinery, etc.) simply by locking onto the item in question.

The suit is predominantly green, white and black and is equipped with a "Lighting Mode" whereby certain lines light up when Kotetsu's Hundred Power is active. Sponsor logos are located on the chest (SoftBank) and shoulderpads (SoftBank and S.H. Figuarts). Additionally, it has a feature called "Good Luck Mode" which expands and enlarges one arm of the suit. Though originally thought to increase Kotetsu's punching power, the feature is actually just for display. On Barnaby's birthday, Saito "upgraded" Kotetsu's suit to match the upgrade of Barnaby's, adding a tiger emblem to the armor.

At first, Kotetsu originally disliked the idea of using the suit, stating that he liked his old one just fine. He is ultimately forced to make use of it regardless, and ends up deciding that it isn't all that bad as he wore it in the field. Despite having a fully visored helmet, he still wears an eye mask reminiscent of his original costume underneath.

After the 1 year time skip, Kotetsu's suit gains a new slogan/nickname written across the back: "WILD TIGER 1 minute, Power to the Future".

A motorcycle which is usually seen as the sidecar attached to Barnaby's motorcycle. It is predominantly white with bits of green and black and has "WILD TIGER" displayed prominently on the front. The bike is able to transform at the push of a button into the sidecar for Barnaby's bike, and both share the same name. Most of the time it is used as a sidecar instead of a bike.

The hotblooded aspect of Kotetsu’s personality was created to complement and contrast Barnaby’s nature.

When Wild Tiger activates his power in his TopMag costume his muscles grow in size. This is in contrast to his new APOLLON suit, and his civilian form shows no increase in muscle size whatsoever.

Whenever he guest stars on TV or an interview, he wears his normal civilian clothes but with his mask on.

On Antonio's phone his picture is a photograph of a yawning tiger.

In contrast to Barnaby, Kotetsu has trouble reading the English title for the next episode. On more than one occasion, he has either: 1) attempted the title, but expressed confusion, 2) provided a garbled reading, 3) disregarded reading the title completely. or 4) reads the Japanese title instead. Despite this, however, during the series he is shown able to write and read in perfect English - so the episode previews may just be a gimmick for the viewers' enjoyment.

Nishida’s favorite Kotetsu scene is when he “healed up” and hurried to Barnaby in ep13, while him searching for Kaede with super-hearing in ep17 is second.

It is shown at the end of episode 8 that Kotetsu previously made it to the top of the hero ranking chart and is actually a former King of Heroes.

Tiger uses his catchphrase "It's time to let out a wild roar" a few times but mostly in the last 5 episodes.

Tiger's character, in some cases, is simillar to that of Wolverine: both are associated with animals, both used their powers to heal themselves and both have a deceased loved one (Tiger's wife and Itsu Wolverine's wife).